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Learning Technology and Alternative Delivery
e-Paks: Using an e-Pack with a WebCT Course
Are you an instructor who wants to put course material online and take
advantage of WebCT resources without spending a lot of time on
development? Maybe an e-Pack is a solution for you...
What an e-Pack is
A growing number of textbook publishers are making supplemental
course materials available to instructors to use online. This kind of
WebCT-ready publisher content is called an e-Pack. It is delivered via
the Web or on a CD. An e-Pack contains fully customizable online course
materials, such as video animations, sample syllabi, lecture notes,
quiz and test banks, and glossaries. Instructors can add as much or as
little of this content to a WebCT course as desired. An e-Pack makes it
easy for instructors to start placing materials online without having
to create a course from scratch.
You, the instructor, may choose to use the e-Pack as the textbook,
providing all material online and eliminating the need for students to
purchase the textbook; or you may prefer to use only selected portions
of the e-Pack material in a WebCT course that has already been
developed.
Is there an e-Pack for my textbook?
There may be. Check with your textbook publisher or review the WebCT
Content
Showcase to read a product description, view a demo, request a
30-day evaluation of the e-Pack, or adopt an e-Pack for your course.
Thomson Learning
(including Brooks/Cole, Heinle, South-Western, and Wadsworth) offers a
"trial run" of their e-Packs (also called WebTutor
content cartridges). Call 800-423-0563 to contact our local sales
representative at their Academic Resource Center for more information.
Cost
The cost varies with the e-Pack and is set by the textbook
publisher. Most publishers will give instructors a free 30-day trial.
Some will provide a free evaluation copy for the whole term. Since
e-Packs contain published content, students must also pay to use them,
as they do for textbooks. Student prices for e-Packs typically range
between $9.95 and $19.95. Some publishers include the e-Pack in the
price of the textbook.
Loading an e-Pack
(Please note that loading epacks
should only be done to templates prior to the live course starting.
Loading an epack will overwrite your course!)
1.
Get the e-pack (in the form of a zip file) from the
Publisher.
2.
Sign on to your WebCT course.
3.
Click on 'Manage Course'.
4.
Click on 'Upload backup from local computer'.
5.
Browse and find the file you want to upload (the one the book
company gave you)
6.
Make sure 'File of type' is set to "All Files(*.*)" or you
may not see it.
7.
Select your file and click the 'Open' button.
8.
Click the 'Upload' button.
9.
If the file already exists, you will get a warning message -
click the continue button.
Other e-Pack resources
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